Our Tutors

Badge indicating all Real College Essays tutors hold PhDs from top universities.

All our tutors are published authors who have PhDs from top schools with 10+ years helping students with their college essays.

We founded Real College Essays after noticing that much of the college essay advice out there didn’t align with what students truly needed. We’d taught at UC Berkeley for many years, and we noticed that a lot of counselors and coaches lacked specialized training in writing. As a result, the essay guidance students received was inconsistent or outsourced to less experienced reviewers.

As academics committed to one-on-one mentorship, we wanted to offer a different approach — where expert consultants with serious writing backgrounds personally guide each applicant through the challenging but rewarding essay-writing process.

  • Ben Urwand, founder of Real College Essays, standing outdoors with a warm smile, wearing a dark shirt, conveying confidence and approachability.

    Ben Urwand

    Ben founded Real College Essays after helping students with their writing for over 15 years. He taught for nearly a decade at UC Berkeley, and since then has been determined to help students write compelling admissions essays. He is the author of The Collaboration (Harvard University Press), which was widely discussed in international media, and he has written for publications such as Time, Harper’s, and The Hollywood Reporter. He received his PhD from UC Berkeley, his MA from the University of Chicago, and he was elected to the Harvard Society of Fellows.

  • Sarah Stoller, PhD, tutor at Real College Essays, seated indoors with a friendly expression, reflecting her expertise and dedication to student success.

    Sarah Stoller

    Sarah is a writer and editor with more than a decade of experience coaching students in college admissions essay writing. She has taught writing both one-on-one and in the classroom setting to students at the high school and college levels. Her writing has appeared in publications including The Washington Post, Salon, Slate, and Jezebel, among others. She is also the author of Inventing the Working Parent (MIT Press). She received a PhD from UC Berkeley, an M.Phil from the University of Cambridge, and a BA from UC Berkeley.

What Makes a Great College Essay Tutor?

Most students who come to us have already gotten feedback — from a school counselor, a parent, or another tutor. But what they usually haven’t gotten is real, in-depth mentorship.

Here’s how one student, Daniel L., described his experience before and after working with us:

Ben U: You mentioned working with a couple of people before me. What were they like?
Daniel L: They mostly just fixed a few grammar things and told me it was good. I thought I was done — until I realized it wasn’t going to get me into a top school.

Ben U: And how was my approach different?
Daniel L: You told me to restart two of my UC essays completely — which shocked me. But you explained what wasn’t working, asked deep questions about my activities, and helped me rebuild from the ground up. That process changed everything. I got into multiple UCs, including Berkeley CS.

See Daniel’s full story 👉

Great college essay tutors don’t just fix your grammar or offer vague praise. They ask better questions, challenge weak ideas, and help students reflect deeply. As Sarah Stoller, PhD, writes:

Writing a great college essay requires reflection, honesty, and guidance... A great college essay coach will never write for you. They will never suggest there is a single right way to approach a great essay. And they will never dismiss your ideas. Instead, they’ll help you reflect on your experience, find your authentic voice, and tell the most powerful stories possible to support your application.

Read more about how our coaching works 👉

Want to know:

  • What the process is like working with one of our tutors?

  • Will we work with you if you already have a draft of your college essay?

  • Will we ever tell a student that their essay is bad?

Find answers to these and more in our College Essay FAQs 👉

Testimonials

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